An IG story

As always, Steven and I are on the same page. He was talking about how we are tracked by everybody and how everything we type and like and basically think about becomes the currency we pay for being on 'free' sites. No, Debra, we are not the same person (he's cuter and taller) but we apparently kind of observe the same things sometimes. And he was recently posting about how our info is always out there, every day. And was wondering how it is used.

We all know that there really is nothing free. Nothing. We always pay one way or another. Take for example 'free' services like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter. They're 'free', but we pay with our information. Facebook (who owns Instagram) mines our data and pushes products and in the case of this post, apparently dreams in exchange of a 'free' service. Oh, you thought those platforms were 'free'? Sorry to pop that bubble. Big Brother has been watching you for awhile. And Google (that owns THIS platform and YouTube) do exactly the same. Stealthy is the name of the game.

I decided to create a backburner IG account because I like to use the accounts of the artists when I post about them. It felt more organic and some of them have restricted accounts (very wise) that only allow those who follow them to embed their content. It's a way to make sure they don't get spammed, I guess. That's why so many here on Blogger activate comment approval. Spam. The bane of the internet. So I created an account on IG and even though I don't really use it much, I do use its search function and I 'like' the pics I find interesting. And there's where the algorithm gets me.

You see, every time you 'like' something, IA takes note. IA never sleeps, never stops watching, never leaves you alone. And based on that, IG gives me 'suggestions'. It's the serpent in the garden of good and evil. You see, all these 'products' (YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, etc) tempt you with what you apparently like, based on your 'likes' or the things you seem to search more. Yeah, they read your keystrokes, too. And then they offer you what that AI 'thinks' you like. Simple, huh?

Yeah, simple and scary. I don't have Facebook. I used to be on it back when it was restricted to institutions of higher education and it was fun and your grand aunt Edna was not posting pictures of her dog on it. I don't do Twitter in a 'conventional' way, I use it the way I used to use Google Reader. Remember Google Reader? It was a news aggregator. Something like Apple News but you chose the content. So I follow news outlets on Twitter to have several sources for my news. Triangulation, you know. I don't do hookup apps (even though Bae suggested I'd go back during these trying times) and I don't really 'do' Instagram, because I don't hashtag anything and I did not gave it my location or even gender. Oh, yeah, they all innocently ask you about your location, gender, age, etc. It's all part of their scheme to mine your info.

I know all this. I am aware that when I don't pay for a product, I AM the product and that's the case with all these 'free' platforms. And I've resigned myself to it. Even Google is counting my strokes as I type this. It's the XXI century and corporations own everything. Meh.

So do you think AI is right? Do you think these screenshots from Instagram are an accurate description of who I appear to be and what I seem to like? When yo look at what the Instagram AI decided to 'suggest' for me to 'like', do you see the me you think I am?

XOXO